Wright Environmental Education Center

An Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary since 2019

At the Jean & Elwood Wright Environmental Education Center, located in east Cobb, you will find nineteen acres of protected land, with a wide selection of plants native to Georgia. Walking trails throughout the property allow many opportunities to study diverse flora and fauna with potential for groups to schedule learning sessions focused on the environment.

The property belonged to the Wright family since the mid 1940’s. Mrs. Wright was very deliberate about rescuing from commercial and residential development a variety of plants, especially azaleas and plants attractive to wildlife and birds in order to create an urban forest around her home. After the Wrights died and Cobb County Parks assumed ownership, the family house was renovated into classrooms and a small kitchen and restrooms. For the past several years environmental education classes were taught to school, scouts and other groups. In recent years Cobb County Master Gardeners have become involved to guide the restoration of the grounds and a return to a more ecologically balanced system. Adults are being encouraged to attend sessions on specific topics related to the history of the Center, the plants that thrive there and future plans.

Visitors can expect a relatively short, easy walk that meanders through the plants some of which are listed as unusual or rare by the state.. The roughly 2 miles of trails are natural surface and 1% – 2% grade. Some areas are conducive to sitting in swings or benches; many areas are good for viewing songbirds. Due to the amount of flora, visitors must remain on the trails.

Anyone interested in scheduling adult groups may contact the Master Gardener Project Coordinator, Judy Beard at Wrightcentermariettaga@gmail.com. Schools may schedule groups of students by contacting Kevin Hill with Cobb County Parks at kevin.hill@cobbcounty.org. Daily public access to the park is not currently available.